For the last few Sunday evenings we've been discussing the teachings of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount as we've gathered at the beach, and this past Sunday, we took a look at one of Scriptures most colorful people. John the Baptist.
   When you study scripture, you'll find that there's not really much written about John, but what can be found is a radically different fellow who was willing to die for what he believed and preached, which speaks loudly of his character.
   I can identify with John on many levels, and often times in the community that I live in, I'm known as the local 'Jesus Freak' which is a monicker that I gladly embrace, especially considering that there are so many other labels that have been attached over the years.
   This dude, John, must have been a sight to see, and I can only imagine what went through the minds of some that came into contact with him, especially clothed in camel hair, with his long hair and beard, eating wild honey and bugs (locusts to be exact), and shouting all the time.
   Not just shouting in general, but shouting the very message that Jesus preached shortly after John baptized Him in the Jordan River. 'Repent, and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.'
   Several things came up during our discussion, but one that stands out to me is the story of Mary greeting Elizabeth during her visit while both were still pregnant with Jesus and John, respectively.
   The story goes that when Elizabeth heard Mary's voice, the baby (John) jumped in her womb, and this causes me to think of the excitement that John knew in the presence of Jesus!
   In a society where anything goes, we, as followers, often get so caught up in the machinery of theology, without ever living out theology, and it has greatly muted our excitement as the Body of Christ.
   Services are planned, and votes are held to install this officer and that, but somewhere in the midst of all of this, we grow callous to the real needs of others, in exchange for the things that we sometimes selfishly want to see come to pass in our buildings made of bricks and wood, shadowed by the steeples that top our massive organizations, hiding behind stained glass masquerades of sometimes impersonal worship.
   The fact of the matter is, the church has sadly become an organization, and ceased to be an organism. Living, moving, growing. And what we need today are a few more 'Jesus Freaks' like John, who are willing to risk being ridiculed, persecuted, and martyred for the Gospel.
   John lived. LOUD! And what I see is a man who lived out what it truly means to follow Jesus, by simply being consumed by the presence of Jesus. Where are you? Are you in His presence? Do you know Him? Does He know you?
   Let us be focused in our daily lives with the mission of Jesus, and let us never forget that He taught us that love is most important, and that love is best displayed as a verb. Let us live out the Gospel with our lives, and if necessary, use words.

   As we move along in the teachings of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:13-16, one of the first things that stands out to me from the passage is what Jesus says about being salt and light.
   You'll notice that He doesn't say that we will become these things, rather, as His followers, we already are salt and light, so with that being said, let's take a look at a few things about these two things.
SALT
1. Salt adds flavor.
2. Salt is a preservative.
3. Salt has healing properties.

   So then, what would you think Jesus is talking about when He says that we are salt and light? Do you think that He meant we should be able to perfectly season a steak, or glow in the dark perhaps? I think not.
   What Jesus is referring to are the qualities of these things, and how we, as His followers, are to have these same influences on the world around us, which makes perfect sense, because we are to influence the world, and not be influenced by the world. Right?
   He asks the question; 'If salt loses its flavor, then what good is it? (paraphrase), then He goes on to include that if salt has lost its flavor, it has become useless, and is thrown out to be trampled by man.
   I've never been one to just lay down and be walked on, and I'm not defending that as the right way to be, but where the Gospel is concerned, we must refuse to lay down. We must work hard to influence the world around us by adding flavor to society. But not just any flavor. We are to add the flavor of Jesus, as His followers, and refuse to be corrupted by the ideals and morals of this world. (which btw allows sin/impurities to enter)
   What makes salt useless? Impurities. So then, that would lead me to believe that Jesus is speaking of allowing sin to slip in, and to cause us to lose our flavor as Christians, thereby rendering us useless as a means of bringing out the best in those around us, teaching them of eternal life (preserve), or leading the way to the ultimate Healer, Jesus. Now let's look at light.

LIGHT
1. Light challenges evil in society.
2. Shines into darkness exposing what is there.
3. Guides us. (see Psalm 119:105)

   As we move ahead this coming week at the beach, we will be discussing some of the ways that we lose our flavor and hide our light, so I will end this entry for now so that I might continue it with my thoughts from Devotions by the Ocean - Flavor Savers.
  

   In chapter 5 of Matthews Gospel account, we read the story of Jesus teaching by the Sea of Galilee in what is known as 'The Sermon on the Mount'.
   If you'll remember back to chapter 4 of the same book, Jesus had been led by the Spirit into the desert for 40 days and nights to be tempted by the devil, after which He began His earthly ministry, and He began to preach repentance, and I wonder why today we do not carry this same message to the people. (More on that in a bit)

Click HERE to read Matthew 5:3-11 NLT

   This entry is based on our time together at the beach for our first gathering of Devotions by the Ocean, and I'm going to attempt to consolidate all that was discussed in just a few sentences to make this post easier to follow, but I encourage anyone who reads this to take out your Bible, and open to this passage, asking God to speak to you through His Word, and by His Holy Spirit.
   Here we see eight, actually nine promised blessings by Jesus, and I want to touch on those quickly to help us understand the crux of Jesus' teachings in this passage.
   Jesus taught that 'God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.' (vs. 3) What He is talking about is spiritual poverty. Those who are unsaved. Those who have never realized that they need God, and chosen eternal life.
 In verse 4 Jesus speaks of those who mourn being comforted, and the mourning that He speaks of is the lament we should have over sin in our lives.
   Jesus goes on in verses 5-7 to speak of humility, a passion for what is right in the eyes of God, and mercy, and even though I'd love to go into details about what was discussed at the beach, I want you to spend time in the Word, and also to visit with us sometime, so for the sake of keeping this post simple, I'll move ahead to the rest of His promises.
 'God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God' is found in verse 8, and it raises the question; 'What must I do to have a pure heart?'
   Peace is a concept that is so often overlooked, or forsaken, especially in today's world of wanting to have things our own way, regardless of who I have to step on, ignore, criticize, or worse, to get it, but Jesus says that those who work for peace will be called the 'children of God', which makes me consider the fact that when others, (unbelievers) see so much strife and conflict in the church, and in the lives of people who claim to follow Jesus, they see nothing of worth, and choose an alternate route, which, unfortunately, leads them to hell and eternal separation from God.
   And then, finally, in verses 10-11 we get down to the topic that so many Christians experience, but never come to terms with. Suffering. But as you read the promise from verse 10, you'll notice that it is the same promise that Jesus gave in verse 3. The Kingdom of Heaven!

   OK then. Now that I have skimmed through the text, let's face a few realities that we must not skim over, and we'll begin with the fact that Jesus' first priority in teaching, was to begin His earthly ministry by preaching repentance for the Kingdom of God is near, and consider how much things have changed since then, but ask ourselves; 'Why have we stopped preaching repentance?'
   No one really likes to be uncomfortable, at least not many do, and if we look at Jesus' life and teachings, we'll quickly realize that He recognized that, but it is a fact that if we are going to follow Him, and do what He said to do, which is 'go and make disciples, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded' then we'll certainly be uncomfortable at times, but there is the promise of blessings for those who endure this discomfort.
  Now I'm not saying that we should follow Jesus so that we will be more comfortable, but that we should do so because we love Him, and want to serve Him, not to fulfill our own agendas, or to have an 'easy' life.
   The cross is uncomfortable, it is cumbersome, and it is offensive. Yet, it is the means by which God brought salvation to the world, by offering His only Son as a sacrifice for our sins, and knowing that through Jesus death, burial, and resurrection, we are offered salvation and victory over death, we should gladly embrace the cross that is ours to bear, that Jesus says we are to 'take up' then we should be more than willing to lay down our lives for the sake of the Kingdom.
   So then. In a nutshell, the Gospel message teaches us that God loves us, and He loves us so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to doe for our sins on a cross. It also teaches that we are to go out and tell the world about the provision that God has made for our sins, and that there is hope for the hopeless, rest for the weary, and love for the broken heart. But how will they know if we never tell? How will they know if what they see in our lives, as Christians, is no different than what the world has to offer?
   As Jesus continues to teach in the Sermon on the Mount, He begins to speak of His followers as being 'salt & light', which is what was read during our second gathering at the beach, and will be continued in the next post.